An Interview with Professor Dr. Michael Popp
In 1987 the then 28-year-old pharmacist Dr. Michael Popp took over the helm of the company his grandfather had founded. In just two decades, he has transformed the small firm in Neumarkt, Germany to a phyto-pharmaceutical company with international research activities and sales. In this interview conducted by the journalist Ingolf Zera, Professor Popp looks back at the past, describes the present situation and reflects on the visions for the future.
Ingolf Zera Wouldn't you say that herbal solutions bring to mind old traditions and antiquated household remedies rather than innovative research?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp I think that's a myth, because the research we are conducting at Bionorica is a big exception in this field.
Ingolf Zera What are you doing differently?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Virtually everything. To put it in a few words, we make use of modern technologies to unlock nature's secrets. Bionorica stands for understanding what nature has to offer us and developing highly effective herbal products with this knowledge.
Ingolf Zera Is that the reason for your slogan "The Phytoneering Company"?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp As a phytoneering company, we are opening up new opportunities and possibilities for therapy. In concrete terms, this means we are discovering and developing active herbal substances into special extracts, which explains the "phyto." For this task we make use of innovative pharmaceutical processes in the same context as engineering. But "phytoneering" also stands for developing and producing modern product in the context of new dimensions of quality and efficacy.
Ingolf Zera But wouldn't you say all companies that produce herbal products make similar claims?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Of course, but can they prove it like we can? Take, for example, our product Sinupret. We have put together all the documents required for its new registration and succeeded in making Sinupret the only five-combination therapy to date that has been newly registered [in Europe] according to European drug laws. I think that speaks for itself.
Ingolf Zera Did that help you with the registration process in China?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp The complete documentation was indeed very helpful. Nevertheless, we had to overcome several hurdles. We encountered strong resistance when we decided to apply for registration. It took a lot of convincing. In addition, we had to conduct further clinical trials in compliance with the demands of the Chinese authorities and exclusively with Chinese patients.
Ingolf Zera Don't you sometimes ask yourself if it is worth it? After all, Bionorica is already successful as it is.
Professor Dr. Michael Popp In retrospect, the hard work was worth it when you consider that Bionorica is already one of the world's leading companies in the field of phyto-pharmaceuticals. But I am deeply convinced about our products, and with my faith in nature I refuse to back down in the face of any challenge. Nature is simply ingenious, and it never fails to fascinate me. Bionorica combines two elements: faith and knowledge.
Ingolf Zera But chemical-pharmaceutical companies also have vast pools of knowledge. Why aren't you as convinced of their approach, which is to systematically test the efficacy of millions of substances?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp What happens in the high throughput screening to which you are referring? More and more substances are being channeled through the test system faster and faster by those chemical-pharmaceutical companies. The result is perhaps one change in a single cell. That is all fine and good, but it does not tell us what drug can be developed from this substance. We have a better approach.
Ingolf Zera And what is that?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp People, and that is why we begin with the therapy of experience. If something has already been shown to be effective on people, it is only natural to use this knowledge and to further develop it with modern scientific methods until it is ready for market application. In our case, this means to develop a "rational" phyto-pharmaceutical.
Ingolf Zera Does this mean that you are coupling the therapy of experience with high-tech research?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Yes, it does. The fact that Bionorica stands for well-researched "rational" phyto therapies is clearly based on this principle. And I am talking about genuine research - i.e., innovation, high-tech, molecular biology and biotechnology. It is also comprised of cell cultures and computerized tomography. We are working here with hard parameters and with hard facts to find a provable effect - without a placebo effect and without fluctuating quality.
Ingolf Zera Do you also make use of genetic engineering in your investigations?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Bionorica does not use any genetically engineered plants. With her incredible variety, Mother Nature has showered us with plenty of choice to work with. We first must examine and use existing plants before we even start to think about creating new ones.
Ingolf Zera But you also would like to continue to improve your products ?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp That is true, but if we want to optimize our extracts, we have to concentrate on improving the cultivation and the conditions for cultivation instead of changing the genetic information of the medicinal plants.
Ingolf Zera Bionorica has been doing this for decades, but the big success has only come since you joined the company. Why is that?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Although Bionorica has been around for more than 70 years, you should not forget that the company has undergone many dramatic changes. In the first generation under my grandfather's management, there was no large scale production in today's sense of the term. Every single order was individually prepared, similar to the way pharmacies dispensed preparations in former times, and nothing more. My father and aunt expanded Bionorica, but the company primarily sold Sinupret. There were hardly any exports in those days. When I joined the company, I pushed the idea of developing Bionorica as a plant specialist. I built up the entire company here in Neumarkt, managed to achieve the new registration of Sinupret and spearheaded the era of phytoneering for Bionorica. This strategy for the future has indeed been very successful.
Ingolf Zera At the same time, you have been very active in the German pharmaceutical association. Have you been successful at this level too?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp That is for others to judge. But there are definitely things that I am very pleased to have accomplished within the association. For example, until now it was not possible in many European countries to register phyto-pharmaceuticals as drugs for defined indications. They were considered food supplements. I have always called for a European commission for herbal medicines. This has now been introduced, and by 2005 there will be a standard law throughout Europe. With this, we have achieved something that nobody dreamed possible.
Ingolf Zera What are your future plans for Bionorica? Where will the company be in five years?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp I have recently initiated Bionorica's "Phytoneering II" concept for the future. This concept includes the plan to open new markets on the basis of our research results. In other words, we intend to put more color in the white areas of Bionorica's world map. My ultimate goal is to see Bionorica's medicinal products or supplements in all the important markets around the globe.
Ingolf Zera Even for a company like Bionorica this will not be an easy task...
Professor Dr. Michael Popp You are absolutely right. No one has tried to achieve this before. Take the example of the United States. In this most important market, not one herbal remedy has been registered as a drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1961.
Ingolf Zera And how do you propose to change that?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp I have already had contact with the Department for Botanicals at the FDA. The authorities seemed to be impressed by Bionorica's know-how in this field.
Ingolf Zera What would be the ultimate success for Bionorica?
Professor Dr. Michael Popp Quite simply that we would be considered the leading phyto-pharmaceutical company in the world in terms of scientific standing.
